LED stands for Light Emitting Diode. This is a device that lights up when electricity is passed through it. LEDs are good for displaying images because they are small and do not burn out. However, LEDs require more power than LCDs according to webopedia.com.

The trend in the retail LCD TV marketplace is beginning to utilize LED technology to improve the current picture quality of LCD TVs. The Samsung 8000 Series is the first LED TV to come onto the scene. However the label, LED TV is really a misnomer. Samsung and other LCD TV manufacturers, who will also be coming out with their own versions of this LCD TV utilizing LED technology, are marketing the new TV products as LED TVs in order to tout the TV as new technology.

The LED technology in and of itself is not new at all. LED illumination has been used on a variety of different devices from traffic lights to automobile daytime running lights to display signs on buses. The way manufacturers are using LED technology in their LCD TVs is what is new to the marketplace.

Instead of using florescent tubes to light the screen in conventional LCD TVs, LEDs are used to back-light LCD TVs. Either placed on the back of the full display or just along the edges of the display, LCD TVs benefit from the LED technology. The benefits of a LED-backlit LCD are deeper blacks and better color saturation, creating better picture quality. LED-backlit LCD TVs are considered a more sustainable choice, with a longer life and better energy efficiency than plasmas and conventional LCD TVs.

This newly applied technology also means higher price tags for these LED-backlit LCD TVs. Because it is the newest television product coming to the retail stores, many manufacturers are hoping the higher prices are outweighed by the benefits in overall quality and performance. How much will one of these new TVs cost you? Samsung’s 46-inch LED-lit LCD TV, model UN46B8000, is $3,200.

It still remains to be seen if this new TV technology will be short-lived or the new standard in TV viewing.